On 27 November 2014, Piero Formenti, Vice-President of European Boating Industry, met up with Mr Karmenu Vella, the recently appointed European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. Both were invited to speak at the 4th EU Maritime Spatial Planning conference taking place in Venice (Italy).

The 2014 edition of the conference, organised by the European Commission, is dedicated to coastal and maritime tourism. This sector is currently employing 3.2 million people in Europe and representing over one third of the EU's maritime economy. The event gathered experts, industries and NGOs in charge of spatial planning at sea, as well as representatives of the boating and cruise industry, offshore wind energy, marine protected areas to exchange views on the coexistence of tourism and other maritime sectors in the context of increasing use of marine space.

Mr Formenti opened the morning session on "Managing competition and coexistence". After describing the boating industry in Europe, its key figures and how the nautical tourism relates to the wider tourism sector, he gave concrete examples of possible challenges for marine space, such as the development of offshore wind farms, aquaculture, marine protected areas, and more generally the access to water from land. He concluded by saying that "most of these challenges can be solved if there is a better communication and a transparent process to involve all parties. It is essential that regulators know and understand various sectors better, and this can only be achieved through the active involvement of interested parties and with the objective of a constructive dialogue to reach solutions that are sustainable economically and environmentally." During a private exchange with Commissioner Vella, Mr Formenti also highlighted the employment potential of the boating sector in Europe and the need for more regulatory coordination among Member States in the field of nautical tourism.